Yeah, I know your goaltending life isn’t
always a fairy tale (sometimes it can turn into a nightmare!), but
you have to look in the mirror at times and objectively assess where
you are as a goaltender. So whether you are an intro mite, an
experienced collegiate/pro or once-a-week adult leaguer, if you want
to get better you have to realistically critique yourself. Ignorance
is not bliss since you have to know your weaknesses in order to
correct them. How do you objectively assess where you are at? Well,
your assessment can come from a variety of sources. Do you keep a
small notebook in your goalie bag to record your thoughts after
practices or games? Many goalies keep journals so they can note
trends they observe in practice and games so they can remember to
focus on those areas in the future. Ask your teammates what they see
when they come in at you during drills. Even if your coaches don’t
have a goalie background, ask them to have you explain your choices
during drills so you stay focused on the tasks at hand and don’t
practice on “auto pilot”. Have someone do a close up video of you in
a game so you can see what your angles are like, how balanced you
are on your movements and to see if you had better options available
on a given play that you did not choose.

What are some of the
key areas to be aware of when it comes to trouble-shooting your
game? Let’s look at a few:

1) Do You Take Shortcuts?As you move up the hockey ladder and the talent rises, it comes
down to the “little things”. An NHL goalie isn’t slumping because
he’s a lousy goalie. Slumps are sneaky. They usually are a result of
forgetting the “little things” that are the foundation of
goaltending. If you don’t pay attention to details, sloppiness
ensues. For example, in practice if you get a little tired and
decide you don’t really need to challenge every play, follow a
rebound or keep your hands in a ready position, goals will go in. If
this occasional laziness becomes routine, your play will suffer.
Life is all about details…..

2) Do You Look Like You
Are Tough To Beat? Body language in any field tells a
story. From a goaltending perspective, if you look tough, people
will assume you are good until you prove otherwise. You can be
nervous, but as the old deodorant commercial used to say “Never Let
Them See You Sweat!” If you carry yourself with confidence and have
an “I dare you to beat me” attitude, your play will reflect that. If
your body language is tentative, hesitant and wimpy, other teams
will smell blood and your teammates will play defensively because
they are worried you can’t stop a beach ball. Practice your acting
skills! Look confident!

3) Are You Desperate To Keep
The Puck Out Of The Net?Battle skills in practice
carry over into games. If you don’t play hard until the puck
actually enters the goal, you will quit on plays too early in games
as well. You shouldn’t just shrug off goals in practice without
making an effort. If you give 100% of yourself whenever humanly
possible, you will make life miserable for your teammates in
practice and your opponents in games. If you rationalize your lack
of effort by telling yourself you can “turn it on” when you really
need to, you are sadly mistaken….

4) No Retreat, No
SurrenderAre you aware of how often you make the first
move or back into the net too soon? This is very common with
goalies. You may say very confidently that “I never back in too
early”, but may sing a different tune when you watch a video of
yourself. Having the confidence to hold your ground when your
emotions are telling you to “do something” is an acquired skill.
Opposing shooters are waiting for you to panic and give them
something to shoot at. If the shooter hasn’t shot yet, it’s because
they don’t know where to shoot and they are waiting for an obvious
clue as to what to do. Practice patience. Trust me, it’s not easy to
be patient, but it makes your job easier!

5) Do You
Have Crease Presence?Crease presence goes beyond
making saves. Do you beat opposing shooters to the angle they want
so they mess up? Do you block passes and pokecheck when pucks are
passed or carried too close to the crease? How well do you handle
the puck? Can you have perfect exchanges with your defensemen on
dump-ins? Can you make crisp breakout passes? Do you communicate
clearly with easy to understand terms to help your teammates? Do you
read approaching plays and take away options? All these aspects
equal crease presence. If you sit back waiting to be shot at, you
are playing at 10% of your potential.